Which set of rules describes how meaningful units are combined to form words in a language?

• A. Syntax
• B. Pragmatics
• C. Phonology
• D. Morphology

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the key linguistic terms related to language structure. Syntax refers to the rules for combining words into sentences, Pragmatics deals with language use in context, and Phonology concerns the sound system of a language.
2. Step 2: Identify what the question is asking: it wants the set of rules that describe how meaningful units are combined to form words, not sentences or sounds.
3. Step 3: Recall that meaningful units in language are called morphemes, which are the smallest units of meaning.
4. Step 4: Recognize that Morphology is the branch of linguistics that studies how morphemes combine to form words, including prefixes, suffixes, and root words.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the correct answer is Morphology because it specifically deals with the structure and formation of words from meaningful units.